Rafi Peer Youth Festival: Rowdy crowd, ham actors distract from stage

One-man show, documentaries, play and puppet show on Day Two.

LAHORE:

Poor crowd control and ham acting accounted for a disappointing second day of the Tenth Rafi Peer Youth Festival at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.

After multiple security checks at the entrance, visitors to the Alhamra Arts Centre Complex were invited to participate in a painting tribute to Dutch masters Piet Mondrain and Van Gogh in the main courtyard.

The evening began with what promised to be a sensational one-man show by Punjab University exploring a man’s torturous mental breakdown following his separation from his wife. The sensitive performance was marred by a rowdy crowd that distracted both audience and performer. The ushers, shouting abuse across the hall, and an obtrusive cameraman flashing a bright yellow light in audience members’ faces made matters worse.

Two documentaries by students of FC College followed, on the subjects of women’s rights and narcotics. The oft-explored subjects got the usual clichéd treatment, the films broaching no new ground.

Imran Peerzada of the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop said it was important to encourage theatre even if the content wasn’t fantastic.

“We may have a lack of material, but for us it is more important to encourage people,” he said.

Students from the National College of Arts, the oldest art institution in the country, staged a play set in World War II Germany. It was refreshing to see the students take on a subject – Nazi violence towards the Jews – that is much misunderstood in Pakistan.

However, the over-acting by most of the characters distracted from the story. The play started with high energy but lost its way halfway through as the actors failed to portray convincing characters.

Rameez Khan from NCA put up ‘Love Notes’, a comical and funky puppet show in black light. Using musical instruments as puppets, Khan told a cute love story about a flute and a trumpet, with a violin taking the role of the villain.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2011.